


Man's Best Friend

by bookwormchocaholic



Series: Dog Days Series [3]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: First Meetings, Other, Unhappy marriage, dog rescue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-18
Updated: 2017-01-18
Packaged: 2018-09-18 09:05:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9377834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookwormchocaholic/pseuds/bookwormchocaholic
Summary: onceuponanovel Prompt Dog Days Verse: The day Avery and Wilby met and their first day together.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [onceuponanovel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/onceuponanovel/gifts).



Gold clicked the mouse a couple more times and opened a new page on his browser. The image of an innocent-looking Collie appeared on the screen. The dog’s amber eyes gleamed and it wasn’t from the sun glaring through the window. This is the one. Leaning back in the dining room chair, he typed out a quick message to the rescue place and arranged an appointment. He had been scouting for a dog for weeks and had been about to give up when he found…

Squinting, he read the name aloud, “Wilby.”

He inwardly cringed at the clacking of high heels on the staircase but plastered on a smile. Milah had stayed out until 3am, partying at the local dive bar and a new friend – a new male friend – dropped her off home, heavily intoxicated. Words slurring, lipstick smeared, reeking of a man’s cheap cologne.

“God, what time is it?” Milah staggered into the room, wearing the same revealing outfit from before. 

“Noon.” Gold grumbled. He had been up before the sun and only came in for lunch and to check out the rescue website. Such was the life of this farmer.

A night owl, Milah was hardly the farmer’s wife type. They were cut from very different cloths and they never would have ended up together if she hadn’t gotten pregnant after a foolish one-night stand. Marriage had been the proper thing to do…three weeks later she miscarried and a number of miscarriages occurred in the years after that. 

“Hey, I found one!” Gold announced, an attempt to be cheerful. 

“Found what?” Milah clomped into the kitchen. “Where’s the coffee? God, did you drink it all? Why didn’t you save any for me?”

“I wasn’t sure when you’d get up.” Gold replied, choking back a snide remark. His wife didn’t work outside the home – of course she didn’t work inside it either – and that was fine, but she didn’t put herself out. While he worked, she partied at night and slept the day away. “I can make more.”

“Don’t bother.” She sneered. “You make it too weak, anyway.”

 _Weak._ That was a word she often hurled at him. He had always known that marriage wasn’t easy, that happiness in marriage was a coin toss. Despite their troubles, he wasn’t the type to forsake his marriage vows – even though she had already done so time and time again. There was always hope, that they’d turn a corner and patch things up. 

“I found a dog. A Collie named Wilby.” Gold cringed at the sound of her banging the coffee pot about. “I’m getting a dog, remember?”

“Ugh, don’t talk so loud!” Milah said, running the water. “Where’s the Tylenol? My head’s killing me.”

He counted five seconds before she poked her head back in the room. Her heavily-painted face was wrinkled in disgust. “A dog? We have enough animals running around here. Dogs get hair everywhere and they smell! No dogs!” She sliced her hand through the air. “I won’t have it!”

Gold rose from his seat. “At this point, I don’t care what you want.” He thrust a finger at his chest. “The dog is for me.” 

He closed the laptop and ignoring the string of profanity that Milah unleashed on him, he left out the back door. There were chores to tend to.

Always easy going and never one to make waves, over the years he had to pick and choose his battles. But if he wasn’t going to have some measure of happiness with Milah, he would have to try and find it elsewhere. 

Perhaps it would be with Wilby. 

#

Gold lagged behind David Nolan, the owner of the rescue, following him out to the backyard. He felt a little overwhelmed and impressed by the place. While he had scanned the website, the only section he paid much mind to was the page on the dogs. But there were all kinds of animals scampering about. Dogs, cats, horses, sheep, llamas, alpacas, cows…all in various stages of health and age. Cast offs from shelters, puppy mills, strays that roamed the streets…all in desperate need of a home and some love. 

_One at a time._ Gold reasoned. Perhaps once he got the new dog settled, he could take in a few others. Milah was hardly ever home and for the first time, in a long time, he was doing something for himself. 

“There he is.” David lifted his hand towards the dog.

Wilby was sitting beneath a tree, shaded from the heat, his tale flopping amidst the roots. An unruly mane of tan hair encircled his head and tapered off into a chest of white and a black back. He turned his pink-black nose upwards when he noticed Gold. 

Gold stopped midstride and crouched down. Holding his arms open, he called out to the animal, “Wilby?”

Wilby cocked his head and not a moment later, he bounded into Gold’s arms. The dog’s quick tongue bathed his chin. Wilby let out a high pitched squeal and laid his head on Gold’s shoulder. 

Gold smoothed the Collie’s hair down, rubbing the dog’s neck. 

“Looks like you’re a good match.” He heard David Nolan chuckle. 

“Looks like it,” Gold cleared his throat, but he still sounded strained. “Wilby, are you ready to go home?”

Wilby jumped back, stamped his two front paws, and let out an “Arf!” 

Gold stood and clapped his hands. “Okay, let’s go then!”

David had said in the e-mail that Wilby didn’t cost anything, but Gold couldn’t go without donating something. It was the least he could do.

After the check had been written, Gold patted his thigh and Wilby followed him out to the truck. They had to run past the pet store for some supplies, but then they’d be on their way home. 

Gold opened the driver side door and grinned as Wilby jumped up onto the seat, claiming the passenger side as his own. 

No matter what Milah might say or do, nothing could diminish the happiness that he felt.

**Author's Note:**

> http://bookwormchocaholic.tumblr.com/post/156032150604/dog-days-mans-best-friend


End file.
